Twilight Sparkle had to admit to herself that the last two introductions with Rarity at the Carousel Boutique and especially Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner left a bit to be desired. "It could've gone better", she would said to herself in her head. However, she did take comfort in that they went rather smoothly. Rarity acted professionally as ever and Pinkie was... well, Pinkie. She has always been extremely passionate about her career as a baker.
However, there were still three more friends to introduce to the human trio and she was already going through a menagerie of scenarios how it might go. Rainbow Dash was suspicious of them from the start, especially with Leon. Applejack was also weary herself, but she seemed more trusting than Dash if only a little. Fluttershy might be the least trusting of them all! While she has learned to stand up for herself and be more confident, she can still relapse into the cowardly Pegasus Twilight first met when the situation gets serious.
How could she not be afraid of Leon and his friends after witnessing their violent acts! Despite her worries, Twilight knew that she couldn't know for sure until she sees for herself. After all, if Fluttershy could stand up to a giant dragon then why not a mere human? She would have to go to her cabin outside of town and see for herself.
Fluttershy's cabin was quite a sight for Leon. Everywhere he looked, there was a critter scurrying around. A few rabbits here, a couple of skunks there, and just about every other animal everywhere else. He even spotted a bear laying on its belly near the cabin! And standing on top of the bear, giving it a message, was Fluttershy herself. Just as he noticed her, Twilight shouted her name, grabbing the Pegasus' attention.
When Fluttershy finished caring for the bear, she reluctantly welcomed her guests into her home but not looking at them in the eye. This immediately made Twilight concerned by Fluttershy's demeanor. She was never much of a conversationalist, but she hadn't tried to hide her gaze from anyone since the day she first met Twilight. This didn't seem good to her.
"Hey, Fluttershy?" she cooed. "There's nothing to be afraid of. These are our friends. Isn't that right?"
Twilight looked back at the humans for confirmation. Both Jason and Sarah nodded with Sarah being more enthusiastic with a big grinning smile. Leon just shrugged before he nodded as well. This suited Twilight at the moment and, to her surprise, Fluttershy seemed a bit more comfortable. The Pegasus even lifted her head to look at the humans. The humans were quite an immense sight for her; their great height and striking armor were incredibly imposing as they basically dwarfed the equine residents. However, they haven't done anything to cause concern so they were left alone. This is why Twilight ever considered introducing the humans to her friends in the first place. She just hoped that it would go well.
As for Fluttershy, she couldn't help but want to cower away in some hidden corner. She had heard what these people can do, seen what they had done to Zecora, and heard about the nature of their homeland. It was all so terrifying to her that she quickly left Canterlot to return home after their encounter with Discord. She hadn't left her house since out of fear that she might see the humans again, especially after hearing about what happened with Pinkie Pie.
Still, Twilight seemed to have gained their trust and the humans didn't seem hostile to her. So she was willing to trust Twilight in welcoming her new guests.
Inside the hut, Fluttershy was sitting on her couch alongside Sarah because she found her to be the most gentle of the human trio. On the other hoof, Twilight and Jason were each sitting on two other chairs while Leon was leaning on a wall nearby. Twilight was about to start speaking before Sarah suddenly cleared her throat, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Umm. So, uh..." She stammered. "You have a thing for animals?"
In Sarah's eyes, it seemed like a fair assumption due to the menagerie of critters scattered around the house observing the situation. The only exception being a small and surprisingly grumpy-looking rabbit sitting right next to the Pegasus.
Fluttershy's ears immediately perked up, if only a little, and she turned to face Sarah.
She quietly answered, "Oh! Y-yes, I do. I've always loved caring for animals since I was a little filly."
Sarah replied with some excitement, "Really? That sounds really nice of you, Fluttershy!"
She put on a confidant smile for Fluttershy to plainly see. In response, the Pegasus seemed to have calmed her composure and even let a tiny smirk appear, even if it was barely visible. This was more than enough motivation for Sarah to pet the adorable pony, but she put a lot of effort to resist the urge. It was better to wait for her to grow more comfortable with them before she would consider it.
Not that the idea wasn't tempting at all. Also, the strange, angry-looking rabbit was giving Sarah a nasty look.
Meanwhile, both Jason and Twilight were impressed by Sarah's success in befriending Fluttershy. Twilight was relieved in that Fluttershy was starting to warm up to her new guests. The young princess had been worried that good relations between them could never be made, but she was happy to see them at least establish a sort of middle ground, as was Jason.
Meanwhile, Leon was not in such a good mood, specifically with his surroundings. Most of the animals were relatively harmless. It was the yellow Equine's bear that gave him some concern. Based on his experience with and knowledge of Lushiro's bears, they aren't particularly dangerous, but this species was well over twice the size of the spectacled species and thus several times the strength. He might not be able to do much if the bear attacked.
Yet, the animal remained in place. In fact, it appeared to be intimidated by Leon as it would quietly move away from him every time their eyes meet. Was this normal behavior for Equestrian bears? Actually, he didn't care.
"Oh! Mr. Jason, is it?" Fluttershy spoke, "I heard that something happened to Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner earlier today. Is she alright?"
Jason chuckled, "Pinkie's fine... I think. She was just freaking out over Leon not liking cake."
Fluttershy gasped with her hooves over her mouth and her eyes widened considerably. For a moment, Twilight started panicking internally. Will Fluttershy start losing her mind like Pinkie Pie did? Is she going to sick her bear after the humans for their heresy?! Well, she admitted the second one probably wouldn't happen.
She was surprised when Fluttershy finally spoke. "Is that true, Mr. Leon? You don't like cake?"
Leon shrugged, "Too much frosting. What about it?"
"Oh, no! N-N-Nothing wrong!" Fluttershy said, waving her hooves rapidly. "It's just that I never met anypony who doesn't like cake before. It's such a delicious treat."
"Sorry to disappoint."
Twilight decided that she shouldn't push her luck any further. She decided that she and the humans should leave.
"Well then, I'm glad that we're getting off on the right hoof, Fluttershy, but we still have Rainbow Dash and Applejack left to meet. Another time, maybe?"
Fluttershy nodded in understanding, allowing her guests to make their leave.
Now, they make their way to Sweet Apple Acres, where Twilight hoped to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash. It is where the two would hold their contests of physical prowess, after all. Sometimes, these contests would go so far that it would end with both Dash and Applejack actually fighting each other. That would be problematic if relations turned sour, especially since Rainbow Dash had already expressed her distrust to the humans and to Leon most of all.
Still, Twilight knew that this had to be done in order to at least get the two sides to better understand each other. It could even help clear the air if she is lucky.
Twilight had already approached the wooden fences when she heard distant grunts and shouting somewhere in the area. She was about to investigate the source of the noise, but Leon suddenly beat her to it. He quickly walked past the young princess, startling her, and entered Sweet Apple Acres grounds before Twilight could even say anything about it. As for Leon, he simply continued walking to find out where the noise was coming from.
Despite Twilight's objections (or the apparent lack thereof), Leon was confident that he could take care of himself against this "Rainbow Dash". He had already confirmed that he saved her from the vehicle that was sent to crash toward them. Additionally, many have claimed that she was a tough fighter; one who had come toe-to-toe with powerful enemies. For her sake, he had hoped that these rumors are true.
Anyway, Leon finally found out what was causing the noise when he looked around the corner of a large barn. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were both standing in the middle of a field, sitting across from each other on a wooden table and sharing intense glares. They appear to be doing some sort of hand-wrestling competition since both Equines were wrapping their forelegs together and straining immensely. Well, it was actually Dash who was straining hard enough to sweat.
In fact, Applejack appeared to be in complete control of the situation. She had a smug smile on her face and she wasn't moving a muscle.
"You best be givin' up now, Dash." Applejack chuckled amusedly. "Ya might got the muscle, but ya ain't got the stamina."
"No way, farm mare!" said Rainbow Dash indignantly. "I'm not done yet!"
Rainbow Dash continued to struggle against Applejack's strength. Dash was an athletic and agile pegasus, but, as Applejack stated, her opponent had the superior durability and stamina. As an Earth Pony who lived her entire life on a farm, she had gained an impressive amount of endurance.
"Ya sure 'bout that?" Applejack retorted. "'Cause ah don't see that in ya right now."
Rainbow Dash decided to ignore the farm pony and continue the game. Try as she might, however, she could hardly even get her to budge. Applejack was even daring enough to let out a yawn which further irritated Dash.
Meanwhile, Leon was starting to enjoy the show from behind the barn. He was especially enjoying the blue winged Equine's struggle to overpower the orange Equine. It was just amusing to see that "Rainbow Rash" being in a not-so glamorous position after she had previously threatened him not to act suspiciously.
Finally, Applejack decided to end the contest and moved her forearm. The sudden movement almost threw Rainbow away from the table and the impact kicked up a cloud of dirt everywhere. Applejack heartily laughed at the pegasus' rather elaborate loss. And so did Leon.
Rainbow Dash stood up and shook the dirt off her fur, growling in frustration. Then, as she was hearing Applejack's laughter, she heard laughter from a voice she thought sounded familiar for a moment. And then it hit her! She looked toward the sound and saw that human ("Leon" was it?) clutching his belly while on his knees, laughing hysterically. Suddenly fueled with anger, Rainbow Dash flew towards the human and pinned him to a nearby tree, their faces barely a few inches apart.
"HEY! What in the heck are YOU doing here?!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "I thought I told you before! NOTHING! FUNNY! PUNK!"
Leon was growling in mild pain from the sudden impact, but mostly in frustration for being caught off guard so quickly by such a brash creature.
"Nothing like what you might think." he shouted back. "Your purple friend was bringing me and my Lieutenants here to meet you and the orange one over there."
"She is Twilight Sparkle, I'm Rainbow Dash, and that's Applejack. Get that through your head!"
"What in tarnation is goin' on 'ere?" Applejack shouted from a distance.
They turned to see Applejack looking around the barn to see Rainbow Dash and Leon. They then heard Twilight Sparkle shouting as she ran to them and Leon's Lieutenants were following right behind her. "Leon, Dash, stop!"
"What are you doing, Twilight?" Dash asked. "I just got think crudbag right where I want-"
"Leon isn't here for trouble!" Twilight replied. "I was bringing him here with Jason and Sarah to meet you and Applejack, but he just ran off before I could stop him!"
"Oh really?" Rainbow Dash turned her attention back to Leon "You thought about going rogue and sneaking up on us, pal?"
"Ya know what? Dash got a point." Applejack interjected, walking to Leon and Rainbow. "Why would you be sneakin' around here when you got Twilight with ya?"
Leon attempted to object, but thought better. He had to admit that this was a foolish course of action. He caused a bit of trouble just to watch someone who annoyed be put in her place. How childish, petty, and immature! He gave out an annoyed sigh.
"You're right. I made a mistake in chosen to satisfy my own curiosity instead of following Princess Twilight Sparkle's orders. And for that, I... I apologize."
The rest of the group appeared to have relaxed, but Rainbow Dash remained tense and alert as she kept Leon pinned. She kept her intense, accusing glare focused on him. Despite her small size, Leon had to admit that this blue Equine was deceptively strong due to that fact that he could barely free himself. He faced the winged Equine and... just now noticed something peculiar in her teeth as she grinded them in anger.
Are... are those fangs? Why would she have fangs!"
Indeed, Rainbow had two pairs of fangs and they were rather small, granted; no bigger than a human's canines. But the discovery of these sharp teeth was no less surprising. Whatever strange purpose this trait may have served, Leon quickly put it aside.
"That's enough, Rainbow! Let 'im go!" Applejack suddenly commanded. Rainbow Dash looked behind her to see the farm pony glaring at her. Dash was surprised by Applejack's sudden change from curious to commanding. It was as if she was actually decided to defend this prick!
"Are you crazy, AJ?!" Dash asked incredulously. "He was sneaking around the place and-"
Applejack did not give up her harsh gaze. In fact, she only intensified it when Rainbow Dash tried to object. This eventually resulted in the pegasus relenting her aggression and releasing Leon. Leon had started to rub his shoulders to soothe the minor ache from having small yet solid hooves pressed onto them, much to his annoyance. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh in defeat.
"Alright. Fine. If Twilight says you're cool, then I guess you're cool. But, I said it before and I'll say it again: Nothing. Funny. Got it?"
Leon quietly groaned, but he reluctantly replied, "I understand. Nothing funny."
And so, the atmosphere had thinned significantly. Both the humans and the equines have started to relax and have even started to engage in a conversation.
"So, uh... Ah heard that Twilight's been showin' ya'll around the place." Applejack said, trying to make a more peaceful experience for everyone involved. "How are ya'll likin' it so far?"
Twilight couldn't help but worry about the answer to that question. So far, the humans' interactions have shown some moderately successful progress, but there were obviously some hurdles that were still present. Rarity and Fluttershy had been the most promising so far due to the friendly introductions and peaceful ends, albeit on some rocky foundation. Pinkie Pie was close to a complete disaster with the way she was panicking at the idea of somepony somehow not liking cake!
As for Rainbow Dash and Applejack, they could react in myriad ways. Dash could start acting recklessly and go on accusing the humans of something suspicious, kind of like how she accused Twilight Sparkle of being a spy went Nightmare Moon returned. On the other hoof, Applejack was less likely to start any trouble but she wasn't a stranger to it. Particularly, if the trouble in question was caused by deception and lies.
In short, anything was possible with these ponies. Regardless of what would happen, Twilight could only trust in her friends and do whatever she can to make their interactions as peaceful as possible.
Sarah Hart was the first to answer Applejack. She did so with a confident smile, much to AJ's pleasure and Dash's annoyance. "It's lovely, mam. It's surprisingly peaceful too. Normally, Lushiro can be pretty noisy since Ricano is right next to a really lush jungle."
Leon Kin answered second. Though, he didn't make such a friendly face like Sarah did; not even a smirk. "I suppose this town is... serviceable. It isn't what I expected, this 'Ponyville', but I still appreciate it." Both the humans and the ponies briefly stared at Leon, disapproving of his uncaring attitude. Rainbow Dash was especially so as she was quietly grinding her teeth in frustration.
Meanwhile, Jason Morales was starting to get worried. This was the same place that he kidnapped that young filly and threatened her for apples. It was done to get the forces some extra supplies from the land, but he could never forgive himself for attacking this family in their home. That was one of the reasons why he left his post at their base camp in the first place. He would've hoped to ask for forgiveness if he weren't caught by those two Equines in that strange divided house.
It didn't help that Applejack, that little equine's sister, was standing in front of her. Jason shuddered imagining what Applejack would do if she found out.
"I'm with Sarah on this one. It's a beautiful place you got here." he said, not realizing that he was getting cold sweat.
Applejack's smile returned. They all went inside the house where gathered in the living room. Rainbow Dash and Applejack took their seat on the opposite ends of the couch while Jason and Sarah decided to sit down on the floor when they realized that the furniture was a tad too small to accommodate them. Leon only leaned against the wall again, like he did in Fluttershy's cottage, but his head was mere inches from touching where where the wall meets the ceiling.
Rainbow Dash kept her accusing glare ever since the humans appeared. Truth be told, she never trusted these weird creatures. Their appearance, their mannerisms, and especially their technology gave Dash feeling uncomfortable. Something about all of these things appear... alien. It didn't help that these creatures were from an entirely separate continent that she never heard of before and remembering what little she heard from Twilight, they almost sounded like savages fighting monsters and villains.
It sounded awesome to her but she'd never say that out loud. I'd fight a Wyvern blindfolded and one hoof tied behind my back. Rainbow assumed rather arrogantly in her head. I mean, Spike wasn't so tough when he went through his weird growth spurt... until he he got really gigantic... but that doesn't count!
Rainbow Dash just didn't trust them as far as she could throw them, especially after everything they all went through went they first met. Besides that, she turned her attention solely on Leon Kin while turning back to the conversation between Sarah Hart, Jason Morales, and Applejack on occasion. She didn't really care for whatever they were talking about. Then, Leon caught sight of the rainbow-maned Equine out of the corner of his eye but she didn't look away; she actually kept her glare.
Leon returned the harsh gaze with his own. Both the Equine and the human stared at each other with increased intensity. It felt like it went on for several hours despite the fact that it was actually a few minutes. Eventually, Twilight Sparkle noticed the two of them glaring at each other and loudly cleared her throat, instantly grabbing their attention. While Twilight was glad to have helped the humans make a decent first impression, she felt that it would be best to end things here and now before Rainbow Dash and Leon start taking their rivalry further.
"Well now. Ah think it's safe ta say that ya'll ain't half bad. Hope ta introduce ya ta Apple Bloom soon." Applejack said with a friendly smile.
"I'd love to, Applejack!" Sarah replied excitedly with a modest bow. Jason, on the other hand, simply stayed quiet in his guilt. Meanwhile, Leon and Rainbow Dash stood beside each other, still maintaining their atmosphere filled with their rivalry.
Suddenly, Leon spoke, "Word on the street is that you've recently joined a sort of military from your home town. The 'Wonderbolts' I believe."
Rainbow Dash was slightly taken aback by Leon's attempt at conversing that came out of nowhere, but she saw it as an opportunity to one up him.
"Heh. You bet! The Wonderbolts are the most awesome team EVER! You should see one of their performances sometime! They do all kinds of tricks and stunts and maneuvers and all sorts of cool stuff!"
Leon raised an eyebrow in sarcastic amusement, "So they're glorified circus performers."
Perhaps the sound of shattering glass could be fitting after Leon said that. Rainbow's eyes snapped open and her pupils were reduced to tiny dots while the blood vessels inside became visible. She slowly turned her head to face Leon, screeching like old metal and one eye twitching.
"S-Say what now?" Rainbow asked with restrained anger.
"The Wonderbolts do tricks, you said." Leon replied nonchalantly. "The Striker Elite doesn't do tricks. They partake in real battle and protect the people from danger."
Rainbow Dash turned further to face Leon directly and gave an even harsher scowl than before.
"Hey! The Wonderbolts aren't pushovers you know, they can kick butt too!"
Leon smirked wickedly and replied, "Oh do they now? I'd like to see them demonstrate."
The rest of the group quickly noticed the banter and they couldn't help but stare in awe. Not only did Rainbow Dash get Leon's attention, she even had him consider a challenge against her! Twilight in particular was curious if they have more interactions with each other in the future because of this. However given how they're interactions are now, she hoped that any aggressive tension between them would be kept to a minimum until they can find some common ground.
Rainbow Dash quickly calmed her demeanor, now that she realized that she has an opportunity to one up this jerk. She smiled smugly and crossed her hooves as she flew up to eye level to Leon.
"Actually, Iwill show you on their behalf!" Rainbow Dash said. "I'll show you how a Wonderbolt can do more than just 'circus performances' and you can show me how a Striker can kick butt. So go ahead and impress me. We'll start this weekend!"
Leon narrowed his eyes in genuine interest as nodded once, "You're on."
The group could only stare at Leon, Jason and Sarah were especially shocked that their captain had actually accepted the rainbow maned Equine's challenge. Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle only sighed in worry as she hung her head.